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From Cologne, we drove through the former West German capital of Bonn to the scenic Rhine Gorge, the section of the Rhine River between Koblenz and Bingen. It is also known as “The Romantic Rhine” because this area is characterized by chains of quaint villages and small towns, steep valley sides that have been terraced for vineyards (the Rhine is known for its selection of quality wines, most notable the Riesling and Pinot Noir varieties), stark cliffs, ancient churches, old

We crossed the German border to Cologne, the largest city in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on both sides of the Rhine River and is a major cultural centre of Rhineland. We went there to visit the famous Cologne Cathedral, the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. It is said to be Germany’s most visited landmark. The cathedral is the oldest Gothic church in Northern Europe, has the second tallest spires, and the largest façade of any c

We stayed in Rembrandtplein while in Amsterdam. This neighbourhood was named after the famous painter Rembrandt van Rijn, who owned a house nearby in the 15th century. We were told that the Rembrantplein Square is the focal point of nightlight there, courtesy of the many cafes, bars, restaurants, and nightclubs around it. It is the ultimate party place...a far cry from what it used to be in the Middle Ages - a humble dairy market for farmers. At the centre of the square is a

We had a short bus tour to see the highlights of Amsterdam. But the best way to really appreciate the beauty of the city is to take a canal cruise, which we did right after. With more than 100 kilometers of canals, about 90 islands, and a thousand and a half bridges, Amsterdam rivals Venice, but has its own charm. The canals, dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city and are lined with historic buildings. We glided under the ma

We arrived in Amsterdam in the afternoon. After checking into our hotel and freshening up, we all assembled at the lobby for a welcome reception at a nearby restaurant. There were new people that joined us – those from South Africa who did not obtain their British visas and were advised to just fly directly to the Netherlands. Our Tour Director told us we were going to be treated to a rijsttafel dinner at Indrapura, a very elegant Indonesian restaurant in the Rembrandtplein

Halfway through our sailing across the English Channel from Dover, we spotted the shores of France. The entire crossing was only going to take one and a half hours. At 31 standard miles or 27 nautical miles, this route is the shortest sailing from England to France. From our vantage point, we could see the white cliffs of England on one side and the golden beaches of France on the other side. Beside us were clippers and other ferries flying either the English or French flags.

We met our official Tour Director and regular tour mates at the hotel lobby that morning. Majority were from Australia, two couples were from New Zealand, a family from the United States, and a solo traveler from Canada. Aboard the bus, our Tour Director told us that it was just our temporary transportation. It would take us from London to Dover, but after we cross the English Channel to France, we would transfer to our regular tour bus - a more luxurious model with a nicer w

Our first full day on London was jam-packed with activities. We started with a half-day city tour on a bus booked through a local tour company. After breakfast, we were picked up at the hotel lobby and off we went to have a panoramic drive around the main districts of London, starting with Parliament Square. We made a quick stop at the Westminster Abbey, but managed to only peek in because a private wedding was supposed to start in a few minutes. We just bought souvenirs at t

I was glad that our nearly-three-week exploration of Western Europe would start in London. Among all European cities, London topped my "to visit" list. As a young child, I remember spending a lot of time in the school library reading every book available on Medieval and Tudor England. So, you can imagine how excited I was to finally go there. I touched down in London a little before noon. Since my husband’s flight from Tel Aviv was not scheduled to arrive till that night, I m

After reading my friend’s novel set mostly in Europe, I was reminded of a promise I made to myself to write about my first European adventure before I forget the details. My first trip there was in the summer of 2010, when I was pregnant with our child. Technically, it was not really the first time because I had been in Frankfurt the previous summer. But that was just for a full day, and though I explored the city quite extensively in the few hours that I was there, it did no

ON FOOD: You might be wondering why I did not discuss food as extensively as I did in other travel stories. I made the mistake of not taking food pictures while on this trip. But I am able to describe the cuisine that we enjoyed over there in a few simple sentences. Basically, we ate game meat – lots of them! And I tried them all – ostrich, kudu, eland, oryx, zebra, springbok, and other types of antelopes – either in steak form or braai. I should mention that at that time, I

We arrived at the Windhoek Railway Station at 10:30 in the morning. We disembarked from the train, thanked the crew, and collected our luggage. After making sure we had everything with us, we looked around. The station building itself was very quaint. It was built in the Cape Dutch style between 1897 and 1902 during the German colonial rule. An additional northern wing was constructed in 1929 to match the existing style of the building. If not for people around us in modern c

We stopped at Okapuka Game Lodge for a game drive and to spend time with some lions as they ate their brunch. Located 30 kilometers north of Windhoek, afoot the Otihavera Mountains, Okapuka Game Lodge is one of the most popular game lodges in Namibia. The gently rolling plains and bush land savannah in this property is home to a large variety of birds and mammals – herds of antelope roaming in the bush, zebras and giraffes pounding their hooves on the soil, rhinos hiding in t

The Desert Express was designed and built in 1998 and offers an affordable luxury overnight travel between Swakopmund and Windhoek. Somewhat of a misnomer, the word “express” really means 22 hours to cover the 350-kilometer distance between these two popular Namibian cities. But this certainly gives one the opportunity to gaze at the Namib Desert while enjoying the good life aboard this comfortable train. I am glad we decided to go this route. The ticket price included onb

After a hearty breakfast, we checked out and left our luggage at the hotel reception. We were taking the Desert Express Train to Windhoek but our departure was not until 2:30 that afternoon, so we still had time to enjoy Swakopmund that morning. My husband had his heart set on visiting the Kristall Galerie, so off we went. The Kristall Galerie is a private gallery housed in a modern three-storey building that features the world’s largest collection of quarts crystals, as well

On our last night in Swakopmund, we decided to go to the restaurant recommended by our tour guide. He said that this place is an absolute "must-try" when in the city. Almost everything on the menu is ostrich, with a few other wild game dishes. But diners go there for the ostrich treats. Aptly named Ombo Restaurant after the Oshiwambo word for ostrich, this small eatery situated on the first floor of the Bundu n See Hotel, has become a legend. It is owned and operated by a fam

Back in the Swakopmund downtown after the mine tour, we had a quick lunch of bratwurst and beer. You can literally find a more-than-decent bratwurst place on every street and German food is offered in most restaurants, regardless of size and price point. In fact, apart from local seafood and wild game dishes, traditional German fare dominated the menus – schnitzels, sauerkrauts, pork knuckles, boiled potatoes, German dumplings, apple strudels, Black Forest cakes, and other Ge

After our brief walk around the Swakopmund downtown area, we realized it was time to go to the museum parking lot to wait for the tour bus. We saw a small crowd of people by the museum entrance, and as suspected, they were going on the same mine tour. Our tour guide arrived shortly, gathered us around, introduced himself, and gave us instructions. Our bus followed suit, and soon enough, we were on our way to Rössing Uranium Mine. Rössing Uranium Mine is the longest-running an

If you are in downtown Swakopmund, the following places are “must-visits:” Swakopmund Museum The mine tour that we signed up for was supposed to start at the Swakopmund Museum. We had to collect the tickets that we reserved from their reception office and the bus that would take us to Rössing Mine would pick us up at their parking lot. Naturally, we decided to check-out this museum. The Swakopmund Museum is the largest privately-funded museum in Namibia, established by Dr. Al

We reached Swakopmund at dinner time. There was still a little bit of light, so our guide drove us around town before dropping us off at our hotel. I immediately felt the change in vibe once we set foot in Swakopmund. First, it is a lot busier than Namibia’s capital, Windhoek. Second, since it is situated by the coast, you could see beaches and the Atlantic Ocean, compared to landlocked Windhoek. Third, the climate is much milder. And fourth, it transports you to a totally di